Ore concentrator or separator.



G. C. KIDDBR.

ORE GONGENTRATOR 0R SEPARATOR.

APPLIoATIoN FILED PBB.3.1909.

974,395. tea Nov. 1, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G. C. KIDDBR.

ORE GONGBNTRATOR 0R SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEBS, 1909.

Patented Nov.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l 514004419@ @wie i WW1/womb.'

Y J I' Errol@ GEORGE CHANDLER RIDDER, `0F SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

ORE CONCENTRATOR OR SEPARATOR.

Spelcication of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1, 1910.

Application led February 3, 1909. Serial No. 475,897.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. KIDDER, a citizenof the United States, residing at Salt Lake City, in the'county of Salt Lake and aratlon of dry ores.

l the The primary object of the present invention is the provision of an apparatus of this character which will more thoroughly effect the separation of the ore into its constituent materials than Athe devices heretofore usedfor this purpose.

A further object of the invention is the provision of anv apparatus of this character which is so constructed that it may be readily adapted to effect the complete separation of dry ores of different characteristics.

Otherobjects of the invention will be a parent from thedetailed description hereln when read in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein a preferable embodiment of the invention is shown, and wherein like numerals of reference refer to similar parts in the several views.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my improved apparatus, Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a detail view of the reciprocating screens, and Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of fans.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, A designates a closed chamber in which the separation of the ore is effected,

said chamber being provided at its forward end adjacent the top Athereof with an inlet o ening a, through which the ore is projected) by means hereinafter described. Positioned in front of the chamber A is a frame B in which are journaled transversely disposed shafts C and D, which shafts carry rollers C and D which su port an .endless belt E, preferably formed of rubber or leather. The roller D' is positioned slightly above `the roller C" and.d1rectly*at the inlet opening a of the chamber A so that the belt E is inclined upwardly slightly and so that in the operation of the device the material carried by the belt will be projected into the chamber A, in a path extending longitudinally thereof. The shafts C and D are mounted in movable bearin s of any convenient form so that the belt il may be maintained at any desiredtension.

J ournaled in the frame B above the shafts lC and D are two transversely disposed shafts F and yGr which carry rollers F and G u on which is mounted an endless belt H, w 'ch is referably of softer material than the beltll?. heretofore described. The shafts F and Gr` are mounted in movable bearings of any convenient type so that the tension -of the belt H may be readily regulated. The rollers C, D, F and G are so positioned relatively to each other that in the operation of the device the belts H and E are in contact `for substantially the full length thereof, 'and the belt E, which is the carryin belt, is referably maintained taut,- while t e belt Ig is maintained somewhat slack in order to reserve a better contact between the belts uring the travel thereof.`

I desi ates a hopper which is4 adapted to receive le crushed ore which is to be separated and which is provided at its lower end` with a transverse outlet opening z' from which extends a downwardly extending a ron, the lower end of which extends into c ose proximity to the upper surface of the belt E adjacent the forward point of contact ofthe belt H therewith.

Journaled in the hop er I at .the inlet opening'z' thereof is a feed roller I2, which is provided with a plurality of radial wings or projections and which serves to deliver the ore from the hopper.onto the apron in an .even stream. Any'convenient means may be emplo ed for actuating the feed roller I2. The s aft D, heretofore described, is provided at one end with a ily wheel J, the outer surface of which is turned true so as to constitute a friction disk. j

J designates a drive shaft, which is journaled in bearings of any convenient tyie and extends across the outer face of the y wheel J, said shaft being driven, from any suitable source of power.,l Slidably mounted upon the drive shaft J and keyed thereto so as to rotate therewith, is a friction, pulley J 2, which is adapted to frictionally engage the outer face of the ily wheel J. Any convenient and well known means maybeemployed for shifting the friction pulley J 2 across the and any convenient and K4 whlch are positioned directly in front of each other and extend directly across the chamber for the full width thereof, the inlet opening of the first compartment K being located adjacent the bottom of the chamber and the inlet openings of thel other compartments each bemg -positioned above the inlet openin of the compartment immediately in front t ereoffthe inlet opening of the last compartment being positioned at the upper end of .the chamber. From this construction, it will be seen that the entire end of the chamber A is covered by the inlet openings to the several compartments, so that any material which is thrown to the rear end of the chamber will enter Ione of said compartments, the particular compartment which the material enters being determined by its position in the chamber due to its density, the more dense parti cles going into the last compartment and the less dense particles. going mto the other compartments. The compartments, K, K', K2 and K3 are open at the bottoms thereof means may be employed all for collecting the materials which therein.

The chamber A isy provided at the front thereof adjacent its lower end with an opening a. with which is connected an exhaust fan of any convenient type and positioned within the chamber in rear of said opening is a slatted partition L which extends transversely across the chamber, the upper end of said partition extending in close proximity to the inlet opening a of the chamber A, and the lower end of the partition extending in proximity to the bottom of the chamber A. Positioned within the lower portion of the chamber A and extending substantially the entire length thereof, is a screen M, which is suspended by suitable links pivoted at their upper ends to the sides of the chamber so that the screen is capable of a vibratory movement in a direction lengthwise of the chamber. rlhe screen slopes transversely of the chamber A and is divided by a plurality of low `partitions m into a plurality of sections, said sections being provided with screening material of varying mesh, the section at the rear end yof the chamber being of com aratively coarse mesh and the sectionsl in ront thereof gradually diminishing in mesh, the section at the front of the chamber being of very small mesh. Fixedly secured within the chamber A and directly overlying the screen M, is a plate N of suberases stantially the same area as the screen M, said plate being adapted to receive the material as it settles in the chamber and direct the same onto the screen, said plate being inclined transversely of the chamber in a di,- rection opposite tothe screen M, so that as the material passes from oli' the plate, it will fall upon the high side of the screen. The plate or apron N which is positioned above the screen M is preferably provided with corrugations extendingl transversely thereof, said corrugations being of suiicient depth to eEect-uall counteract any tendency the falling particles of material may have to ricochet along the apron and fall upon the screen out of their proper order.

Any suit-able means may be employed for imparting a vibratory movement `to the screen M. In the form shown in the drawings, however, a rod M extends from the front end of the screen'and projects through the front wall of the chamber-A, which rod is surrounded by a coil spring which is interposed between a collar secured on the outwardly projecting portion front'wall of the casing. Positioned adjacent the outer end of the rod M is a shaft M2 which is provided with a plurality of tappets thereon adapted to intermittently engage the rod M and force the same inwardly against the tension of the coil spring. Any convenient means may be utilized for continuously rotating the shaft M2.

Secured upon the top of the chamber A and along the medial line thereof are a plurality of fans, three being shown in the present instance, 0, O', and O2, the outlets of which extend downwardly into the casing, so that said fans will successively deliver a blast of air upon the material as it asses throu h the chamber, the outlet openings of the ans being angular-ly adjustable so that the blasts of air may be directed onto the material at any desired angle. The fans O, O and O2 are similar in construction and but one of them need therefore be described for the purposes of this specification. Rigidly supported in any suitable manner upon the upper portion'of the casing A are a pair of rings l) which are arranged side by side and in axial alinement. Positioned between kthe rings P is a casing P for the fan O which is provided with the usual discharge opening which projects through the top of the chamberA. The casing P has secured to the sides thereof circular meinbers p which fit within the rings P, so that the fan casing may be shifted bodily to vary the angle of the discharge opening thereof. The fan casing is provided with a handle P2, which plays over a quadrant secured to the top of the chamber A, any convenient means-being employed for locking the handle to the quadrantl to hold the fan casing in any desired position of adjustment. The

fan proper may be of any well known construction and is carried by a shaft P journaled in suitable bearings mounted upon the chamber A. The fan casing P is provided with the usual opening p in one side thereof through which the air is drawn in and said opening is provided with a shutter p2 to permit its area to be increased or diminished so that the strength of the blast of air from the fan can be regulated to a nicety. The fans Oa O and C)2 are preferably provided with independent driving means so that they can be adjusted independently of each other.

In the o eration of the device, the ore which is to e separated is first crushed and placed in the hopper I and through the medium of the feed roller I2 fed between the belts E and H. The belt E is rotated at a sutiicient speed to cause the material to be projected with considerable force in a thin even la er into the chamber A. Immediately a er leaving the belt E and entering the chamber A, the material will encounter a blast of air from` the first fanY O, which will cause the lighter and finest vparticles to fall upon the plate or apron IN and from thence'onto the proper section of the screen M, any extremely light particles such as dust being drawn by the exhaust fan through the partition L and out the opening a As the material proceeds it encounters first the blast from the fan O and then the blastfrom the fan O2, which will cause the particles of different densities to be graded to a nicety and to fall upon the pro er sections of the screen M or mto one of t e compartments K, K', K2, K3, K4. The mass of material which is rojected into the chamber consists of metalic and non-metallic particles which will be delivered onto the inclined apron and screen sections according to their respective weights. Of the material delivered on any particular screen section, the non-metallic particles will of course be much larger than the metallic particles of the salne weight and each screen section yis of asize that the metallic particles which are de osited thereon will pass therethrough, whi e the larger non-metallic particles will remain on the top of the screen. The metallic particles which pass through the screen may be collected in any suitable manner and are then ready for the blast furnace. The non-metallic particles are from time to time taken oit the screen and either thrown away, or, what is preferable, subjected to trcatmentin a second machine, as these non-metallic particles will be found to contain a small per cent. yof metal which can be recovered in this way.

As the fans are ,independently driven, it will be apparent that. they may be driven at any desired speed and that any one of them or all of them may be stopped should it be found advisable to do so in the treatment of certain classes of ore, and this together with the fact that the amount of blast and the direction of each blast can readily be controlled, renders the machine adaptable for use with dry ores having widely differing characteristics.

While a preferred embodimentof the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it will be obvious that many minor changes may be made to the form and construction therein shown Without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims: i y

Having thus described the lnventlon, what I claim as new and. desire to 'secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an ore separator, a chamber, a screen in the lower portion thereof, said screen sloping transversely of the chamber and increasing in mesh from the front to the rear of' the chamber, and means for projecting ore into said chamber from the front thereof toward the rear thereof above said screen.

2. In an ore separator, a chamber, a screen in the lower portion thereof, said screen slopingtransversely of the chamber and increasing in mesh from the front to the rear of the chamber, means for vibratingsaid screen longitudinally of the chamber, and means for projecting ore into said chamber from the front thereof toward the rear thereof above said screen. 3. In an ore separator, a chamber, a screen in the lower portionof said chamber increasing in mesh from the front to the rear of the chamber, a transversely inclined apron positioned above said screen, and means for projecting'ore into said chamber from the front thereof toward the rear thereof above said apron.

4. In an ore'separator, a chamber, a screen in the lower portion of said chamber increasing in mesh from the front to the rear of the chamber, a transversely inclined apron positioned above said screen and provided with channels extending transversely thereof so as to deliver material to the screen, and means for projecting ore into the front of said chamber toward the rear lthereof above .said apron.

5. In an ore separator, a chamber, a screen in the lower `portion of said chamber formed of a plurality of sections iiicrcasing in mesh from the front to the rear of the chamber, a transversely inclined apron positioned above said screen, and means for projecting ore into said chamber from the front thereof toward the rear thereof above said apron.

G. In an ore separator, a chamber, a screen in the lower portion of said chamber formed of a plurality of sections increasing in mesh from the front to the rear of the chamber, means for imparting a vibratory movementY to said screen longitudinally of the chamber,

a transversely inclined apron positioned above said screen, and means for projecting ore into the front of said chamber toward the rear thereof above said apron.

7. In an ore separator, a chamber, a screen in the lower portion of said chamber, said screen being inclined transversely of the chamber and formed of a plurality of sections increasing in .mesh from the Vfront to the rear of the chamber, means for imparting a vibratory movement to the screen, a reversely inclined transversely corrugated apron positioned above said screen, and means for projecting ore into thefront of said chamber above said apron.

8. In an ore separator, a chamber, a plurality of compartments at the rear end of said chamber, the inlet openings of said compartments being at different elevations and extending completely across the end of the chamber, separat-ing devices extending from the front to the rear of the chamber in the main portion thereof and adapted to receive materials of different weights, and

means at the front end of the chamber for projecting a stream of ore toward the rear thereof.

9. In an ore separator, a chamber, a pluthe chamber having their inlet openings at ,dil'erent elevations, a screen in the lower portion of said chamber increasing in mesh from the front-to the rear of the chamber,`

and means at the front end of the chamber for projecting a stream of ore toward the rear of the chamber above said screen.

10. In am ore separator, a chamber, a plurality of compartments at the 4rear end of the chamber having their inlet openings at different elevations, a screen in the lower portion of the chamber extending substantially the full length thereof and inclined transversely of the chamber, said screen increasing in mesh from the front to the rear of the chamber, and means at the front end of the chamber for projecting a Stream of ore toward the 'rear end of the chamber above said screen.

11. In an ore separator, a chamber, a plurality of compartments atI the rear end of. the chamber having their inlet openings at different elevations, a screen in the lower portion of said cha'mber increasing in mesh from the front to the rear of the chamber, a transversely inclined apron `positioned above said screen, and means at the front' of said chamber for projecting a stream of ore into said chamber and toward the rear4 thereof and above said screen.

12. In an ore separator, a chamber, a plurality, of compartment-s at the rear end of the chamber having their inletopenings at different elevations, a transversely inclined screen in the lower portion of said chamber formed of sections increasing in mesh from the front to the rear of said chamber, and a reversely inclined apron positioned above said screen, and means at the front of said chamber for projecting a stream of ore into said chamber and toward the rear thereof and above said screen.

13. In an ore separator, a closed chamber,

means for projecting a stream of ore into rear thereof, separating `devices in the lower portion of the vchamber adapted to receive materials of dierent xweights and to separate' the metallic from the non-metallic portions thereof, and means for successively subjecting the ore during its travel through the chamber to downwardly directed blasts of air.

15. In an ore separator, a chamber, a

graded screen therein, means for projectingt a stream of ore longitudinally of said c hamber above said screen, and a fan positioned in the upper portion of said chamber and adapted to direct a blast of air onto the ore during its travel in the chamber.

16. In an ore separator, a chamber, av

screen in the lower portion of said chamber graded from the front tothe rear thereof, means for projecting a stream of ore longitudinally of said chamber above said screen, and a plurality of independently operated fans positioned in the upper portion of the casing, and adapted to direct blasts of air onto the material during its travel in the chamber.

17. In an ore separator, a chamber, a screen in the lower portion of said chamber graded'from the front to the rear thereof, means for projecting a stream of ore longitudinally of the chamber above said screen, and angularly adjustable means for direct.- ing a blast of air onto the top of the stream of ore during its travel in the chamber.

18. In an ore separator, a chamber, separating devices in the vlower portion of the ch mber adapted to receive materials of different weights and to separate the metallic from the non -metallic portions thereof, means for projecting ore into said chamber from the front thereof toward the rear thereof above said separating devices, and an exhaust fan communicating with the front end of said chamber below said lprojecting means.

19. In an ore separator, a chamber, means for projecting ore into the `front of said rating devices therein, means for projecting' a stream of'ore longitudinally of the chamber, a fan in the top of the chamber, a cas- 'ing for said fan provided with an outlet nozzle extending downwardly in` the upper portion of the chamber, and means for oscillating said casing.

21. In an ore separator, a chamber, a screen in the lower portion of said chamber f formed of a series of sections increasing in mesh from the frontx to the rear of the chamber, means for projecting a stream of ore longitudinally of said chamber', comprising an upwardly inclined endless belt having its delivery end positioned to deliver material to the front of the chamber, a second belt contacting with the upper surface of said first mentioned belt, and means for directing a blast of air onto the stream of ore during its travel in said chamber.

22. In an ore separator, a chamber, a screen in said chamber formed of a series of y sections increasing in mesh from the front to the rear of the chamber, means for projecting ore into the front of the chamber, and means for subjecting the ore successively to a plurality of downwardly directed blasts of air during its travel in the chamber.

23. In an ore separator, a chamber, a

screen in thc lower portion thereof increasing in meshI from the front to the rear of the chamber, means for projecting orc into said chamber from the front thereof toward the rear thereof above said screen, and an exhaust fan communicating with the front end of said chamber below said projecting means.

24. In an ore separator, a chamber, a screen in the lower portion thereof, said screen increasing in mesh from the front to the rear of the chamber, vmeans for projecting ore into said chamber from the front thereof toward the rear thereof above 'said screen, means for subjecting the projected stream of ore to a downward blast of air during its travel in the chamber, and an exhaust fan comnmnicating with the front of said chamber below the Iorc projecting means.

25. In an ore separator, a chamber, a screen in the lower portion thereof, said screen increasing in mesh from the front to the rear of the chamber, a vertically vdisposed slatted wall in said chamber adjacent the front end of said screen, means for projecting ore into said chamber from the front thereof 4toward the rear thereof above said screen, and an exhaust fan communicating with said chamber in front of said slatte wall.

In testimony whereof I afx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE CHANDLER KIDDER.

Vitnesses:

PEARL DURNELL, BLANCHE L. Kramm. 

